On Tour 01/04/20- 02/06/20 ”The Other Gloria” by L.A. Villafanew

Release Date: 10/1/19

About The Book:

The truth lies in what she can’t remember. There is another who harbors her unspeakable secrets. Meeting her is where the danger lies.

On a dark January night in 2019, Gloria finds herself behind the wheel of a car, beaten and covered in blood. She has no idea where she’s coming from, or where she might be headed. After pulling to the side of the road, she begins to fade out of consciousness.

The next thing she experiences is waking in bed next to a man who should be her beloved fiancé, Rick. However, she soon discovers it is her dangerous ex-husband, Charles, whom she thought she had escaped two years earlier, in 2017. She eventually finds that the year she was woken to is 2003, and she is living her life with this abusive man all over again.

Due to the abuse she endured, Gloria suffers from dissociative disorder, which has stolen the memories of her two young daughters growing up. There is another who holds these memories; the Other Gloria. She thinks maybe God has given her a do-over, and she might be able to do better, stay present, and recover the lost memories of their childhood. She knows, to do this, she must escape Charles once again.

Gloria’s plan for escaping this time around includes finding Rick, who doesn’t know she exists in 2003, but she soon comes to the realization that meeting Rick will not be enough. She knows she must do the one thing she never wanted to do – meet the Other Gloria and finally discover the unspeakable secrets she holds.

About The Author:

Lori Villafane lives in Granbury, Texas, with her husband Larry, her standard poodle, Doodle, and a sassy tabby rescue named Diva. When She’s not writing, she enjoys helping Larry build and refurbish houses. She loves anything DIY, which includes writing. Although her debut novel, The Other Gloria, is a work of fiction, she has drawn from her own experience living with dissociative disorder to create Gloria.

Social Media:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lavillafanewriter

Twitter: @othergloria
KIRKUS REVIEW

In this debut novel, a California woman who’s escaped a controlling, abusive husband relives her past life when she was still under his thumb.

In 2019, Gloria Davis speeds down the highway, inexplicably covered in blood. She has suffered memory lapses for years and can’t remember what led to her current predicament. After apparently blacking out, Gloria awakens next to her ex-husband, Charles, instead of her fiance, Rick Gaines. Later determining it’s somehow 2003, she’s once again living with the indifferent man who psychologically abused her. The narrative alternates between this time period and 2017, when Gloria finally decides to leave Charles and eventually meets Rick. Gloria considers 2003 a “do-over” and takes the opportunity to get out of her marriage even earlier. Charles is irate in both time periods and occasionally shows up drunk at Gloria’s home. She’s happy to be away from Charles but soon realizes that, if she stays in 2003, she’ll have to find another way to connect with Rick. Meanwhile, the protagonist, whom a psychologist has diagnosed with dissociative disorder, knows “the Other Gloria” has taken over during those lapses in memory. She suspects the unsettling dreams she’s having in 2003, in which she’s locked inside a box, may actually be memories. Villafane has written a riveting story about domestic abuse. Although there are later indications that Charles’ abuse has been physical, his cold, domineering nature is unnerving on its own. Even after Gloria moves out, Charles is a frightening individual who bangs on her door late at night. Benevolent characters help alleviate the story’s overall bleakness; good-guy Rick is the focus, but Gloria also gets support from her parents and, in 2017, her teen daughters, Chrissy and Sarah. The author skillfully distinguishes the two time periods, using past tense for 2017 and present tense for the 2003 that Gloria is reliving. Villafane’s largely unadorned prose soberly depicts a woman who struggles to put herself and her daughters first and stop catering to the needs of a self-serving husband.

A gripping tale about the reverberations of spousal abuse.

Book Blurbs:

“You’ve managed to write that type of story that keeps the readers on their toes the whole time and just when they think they have figured out what’s going on, bam! An amazing twist shocks them out of their comfort zone. Just brilliant!” – Brunella Costagliola, Best Selling Ghost Writer, editor and translator

Bloggers On Tour:

Jan. 4th – Lindas Book Obsession https://www.facebook.com/lindasbookobsession

Jan. 5th – Miss W Book Reviews https://instagram.com/misswbookreviews

Jan. 6th– Cassie’s Book Reviews https://instagram.com/cassies_books_reviews

Jan 7th – As I Read It https://instagram.com/as_i_read_it

Jan.8th – Read A Latte Thrillers https://instagram.com/reads.a.latte.thrillers

Jan. 9th- Its All About The Thrill https://instagram.com/itsallaboutthethril

Jan. 10th – The Weekend Booker https://instagram.com/theweekendbooker

Jan. 12th – Books Bites Beaches https://instagram.com/booksbitesbeaches

Jan 13th-Bookapotamus https://instagram.com/bookapotamus

Jan. 14th– Novels and Latte Book Club –https://www.facebook.com/groups/357651988042629

Jan 14th – Read A Lot Write A Lot https://instagram.com/readalotwritealot